Commando (Sega)

Commando (Sega)

Overview & History

Released to arcades in 1985 by Sega (often associated alongside Capcom's famous run-and-gun counterpart, though featuring distinct hardware iterations and atmospheric touches), *Commando* places players in the combat boots of a relentless, one-man army. Set deep within hostile, dense jungle territories, the game challenges you to infiltrate enemy lines, rescue captured prisoners of war, and neutralize heavy opposition forces. As a seminal top-down vertical scrolling shooter, Sega's rendition captured the gritty, high-stakes tension of 1980s action cinema, cementing its legacy as a pivotal title in the evolution of arcade run-and-gun gameplay.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Players assume control of Super Joe (or a similarly unnamed green-clad marine), navigating continuously advancing vertical screens filled with labyrinthine trenches, wooden bridges, and hostile bunkers. The core objective is twofold: survive the relentless waves of rifle-toting soldiers and rescue POWs guarded along the main path by simply walking near them to trigger their escape. Unlike many contemporaries, your arsenal includes a dual-threat capability: standard directional gunfire to eliminate front-facing threats, and devastating hand grenades. Grenades arc in a parabolic trajectory over obstacles to blast hidden enemy redoubts and clusters of infantry, though timing and placement are critical due to limited ammo. Lives are precious, and encountering a single enemy bullet or colliding with hostile combatants instantly strips away a life, forcing immediate checkpoints or restarts depending on the arcade dip-switch settings.

Keyboard Controls

• Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move
• Action Keys: Attack / Jump
• Enter: Start / Pause